Friends In Deed

Mae Volen Kitchen Band Members And Mount Olive Baptists Develop A Friendship.

February 4, 1998|By DALE KOPPEL Special to the Sun-Sentinel

The relationship between the Kitchen Band at the Mae Volen Senior Center in Boca Raton and the Senior Outreach Group at the Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church in Delray Beach has certainly evolved since the musicians first played for an audience two years ago.

Then, it was like two people meeting for the first time.

Now, it's a comfortable friendship.

The two groups, whose members range in age from 64 to 94, recently met at the Boynton Beach Mall for lunch and an afternoon of socializing.

Just a couple of months ago, they all went on the Ramblin' Rose lunch cruise out of Delray Beach.

That's not to say the band has stopped performing at the church.

During a recent concert, the band played a couple of old standards on unique instruments, including spoons and washboards.

Their repertoire also consists of polkas, songs from the 1950s, and music to dance to, such as the limbo, the hokey-pokey and the funky chicken.

``A good time was had by all,'' said Shari Sanzo, the band's organizer.

The audience members agreed.

``I think it's grand that old people have such a wonderful time,'' said Mary Keys of Delray Beach, a member of the church group.

At age 93, Keys sometimes opts to spend her mornings in bed. But not when a concert is on the agenda.

``She'd never miss a Kitchen Band performance,'' said her daughter, Ruth Pompey, the church's outreach coordinator.

A recent concert, as usual, went beyond the usual performance for an audience.

The band and church group members exchanged presents and shared a meal.

Pompey called the coming together of the two groups: ``A very, very good thing.

``Tradition of the South was always: Whites were here, blacks were there,'' she said.

``Especially in that [older) age group. These people never mingled socially,'' Pompey said.

Until now.

Now, Pompey said, there's a real sense of camaraderie.

And more.

``When we took the Kitchen Band into our church, to show them the display we have of the history of the settlement of Delray, as it reflects the black experience, they really learned a lot,'' Pompey said.

Band members Aileen Kervern, 84, and Frances Robinson, 90, both of Boca Raton, were instrumental in changing the two groups' focus, said Darlene Green, the senior center's outreach coordinator.

Kervern and Robinson approached Green with the idea: ``Why don't we all get together socially?''

``I thought it was a brilliant idea,'' Green said. ``It's done both groups a world of good. It gets them out and keeps them active.''

Robinson said she looks forward to the time she spends with her Delray friends.